The disclosure relates generally to electric-optical systems, and more particularly to fiber optic sub-assemblies for active optical cable assemblies or the like.
Short-distance data links used for consumer electronics are reaching increasingly higher data rates, especially those used for video and data storage applications. Examples include the USB 3.0 protocol at 5 Gb/s, HDMI at 10 Gb/s and Thunderbolt™ at 10 Gb/s over two channels. At such high data rates, traditional copper cables have limited transmission distance and cable flexibility. For at least these reasons, optical fiber is emerging as an alternative to copper wire for accommodating the high data rates for the next generations of electronic devices such as consumer devices.
Unlike telecommunication applications that employ expensive, high-power edge-emitting lasers along with modulators, short-distance optical fiber links are based on low-cost, low-power, directly-modulated light sources such as vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs). In general, optical fiber links include fiber optic assembles that are used to couple light from the light source into an optical fiber in one direction (i.e., transmit). The fiber optic assemblies are also used to couple light traveling in another optical fiber onto a photodiode in the other direction (i.e., receive). To be viable for consumer electronics and the like, the fiber optic assemblies need to be low-cost. This requirement drives the need for designs that are simple to manufacture yet have suitable performance.